I’ve had enough of VAR and referees – they could cost Liverpool the title
Howard Webb and referee Simon Hooper I am seriously concerned about the level of tenure we are seeing week in week out in the Premier League. As Martin Odegaard missed Saturday night’s handball against Liverpool is a complete mystery. I was commentating the game and I could see it from afar in the stands, so how did the referee Chris Kavanagh not notice? It was absolutely filthy. David Coote, who was on VAR, saw it as a case where Kavanagh should not have been sent off. It just beggars belief, honestly. Weand had his issues with Coote – especially when he was on VAR when Jordan Pickford decided to end Virgil van Dijk’s season and he didn’t even get a yellow card for it. It was the easiest decision Coote had to make all season and somehow he was wrong. Odegaard’s hand moved to the ball. If it was out of the box, it’s 100% a bug. What is the difference between being in the penalty area and something else on the pitch? It was played on TV and didn’t explore how many of the decisions there were, which was odd. It’s so poor it’s embarrassing. No idea how VAR didn’t pick it up. Odegaard panics when he sees Salah move the ball past him and we all have. It shouldn’t detract from a great game, but it’s an absurd call that can’t be ignored. Coote should be suspended for two weeks after that, because who knows how much it could say later? That wrong call could be the difference between us winning the league and finishing second. We’ve already had to deal with Luis Diaz’s failed goals at Tottenham Hotspur and now we’ve been linked with another disgraceful decision. When will it end? If the decision is 50/50, you can be sympathetic. But it was a clear penalty, so what did Coote see that stopped him from reporting it? Moving on from VAR, I have to give credit to Arsenal for at least making it an enjoyable game. Unlike Manchester United, they arrived at Anfield with real purpose and could be proud of their performance. They are developing as a team under their manager and you can clearly see how they and#039; evolved Our draw with Arsenal was a great result for Manchester City, more than anyone else. They were happy with how it went and now think they can poach us and Arsenal. They will continue to struggle if De Bruyne is fit, make no mistake. Trent Alexander-Arnold could have won the game for us in the second half when we charged forward and hit the crossbar. It was unfortunate because it wasn’t the right bait for him. If we had a striker in that position, they would control it and let the ball come out of their feet. Trent tried for power and it only went up a little, but his effort and sprint to get to that position showed how much it meant to him. He was again one of the best players on the pitch, he is so influential. His assist on Salah’s goal was laughable. Wounds begin to bite Losing Kostas Tsimikas was a big blow on Saturday night, an unfortunate injury for him as he impressed in the absence of Andy Robertson. We don’t have a proper senior left back at the moment and that is a big concern. Robertson should be back at least next month, which is great, but until then it’s a waiting game. We really need to keep Joe Gomez fit because if we lose him we will be in real trouble. Gomez is Mr. Versatile, he can play left, right and center back. This makes him a great asset to the team. He will likely have to deputize at left back when Tsimikas is out. With James Milner gone, other people have to step up and fill in where needed. Alexis MacAllister can’t be too far from a comeback now with Robertson and Jota. We don’t know about Bajcetic and I will give up on Thiago – I don’t know what happened there. I hope the Luis Diaz setback is nothing major. Losing him again for a long time would be devastating. Burnley are next at Liverpool later this afternoon and they take it on the back of an impressive win at Fulham on Saturday. Good luck ECHO readers I hope you enjoy Christmas with your family as it is a special time of the year. Thank you for reading my column in 2023 and I wish you a happy new year. I hope you are doing well both on and off the field!